The President of the Republic Nicos Anastasiades has asked the UN Secretary General's intervention to convince Turkey to refrain from violating Cyprus` sovereign rights in its Exclusive Economic Zone, warning that such actions “would give a heavy blow to the negotiations for the settlement of the Cyprus problem”.
In a letter to Ban Ki-Moon, President Anastasiades informs him about his decision to suspend his participation to the meetings with the Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu on the 9th and 10th of October to allow, as he notes, the SG and other Governments to convince Turkey to reconsider.
Anastasiades analyses the Turkish violations and threads and their impact on the Cyprus peace talks and the Special Advisor`s Espen Eide efforts.
“They have the potential to destroy the efforts of creating a good and positive environment and actually derail the whole negotiating process”, he notes.
The President also analyses the various aspects of Turkey`s provocative policy, which includes “continued verbal threads and rhetoric, the harassment of vessels performing authorized by the Government of the Republic of Cyprus lawful activities, by Turkish warships and military aircraft, unlawful seismic surveys within Cyprus` western Exclusive Economic Zone by Turkish vessels”.
However, he points out, “this is the first time that Turkey decided to escalate its provocation and directly carry out a seismic survey in specific blocks, some of which have been assigned to international companies (blocks 2, 3 and 9), within the southern part of the Exclusive Economic Zone of the Republic of Cyprus”.
Recalling that the EEZ of Cyprus was proclaimed in 2004 in accordance with international law, Anastasiades notes that “Turkey`s intentions as well as their timing give rise to great concerns”.
“They point to the increasingly aggressive nature of Turkey`s actions in areas in Eastern Mediterranean under the jurisdiction of the Republic of Cyprus. Their timing, in the midst of a process aiming to reunify the island, serves only to undermine the process and to raise more doubts as to Turkey`s commitment to it. In addition, these intentions contribute towards the increase of the overall tension in Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East”.
The President tells the UNSG that he has proved his good will and good faith in pursuing the negotiations for the settlement of the Cyprus problem and the efforts for a negotiated solution, the soonest possible, but he notes that “in order to be successful in that endeavour all sides should be able to show the same kind of commitment and determination. Unfortunately, this does not seem to be the case with the Turkish side as proven by the above mentioned latest decisions and intended actions”.
Anastasiades goes on to note that “given the Turkish threads and blackmail, I am obliged to suspend my participation to the meetings with Mr. Eroglu under the aegis of Espen Eide on the 9th and 10th October to allow time to your Excellency and other Governments, friends to your good offices mission to convince Turkey to reconsider”.
He adds that he is very well aware of the SG`s personal interest in the settlement of the Cyprus problem, for which he is “grateful”.
“I would thus kindly request your intervention in an effort to convince the Turkish Government not to go ahead with the realisation of the intended seismic survey described above, or any other interference and violation of Cyprus` sovereign rights in its EEZ as such a realization would give a heavy blow to the negotiations for the settlement of the Cyprus problem”, says the President.
Concluding, Anastasiades underscores that the SG`s success in convincing Turkey to refrain from carrying out its intentions “will be great contribution towards decreasing tension and creating conditions of stability in the already volatile region of the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East”.
